Concerns on job losses due to robots a ‘myth’ as BPO industry goes hybrid

It has been a growing concern for the BPO workers lately. There has been reports of jobs being pulled out and brought back to America. In addition to that, automation and artificial intelligence is already beginning to make it’s mark in the industry. Here is an article that bring good news to us BPO workers.

MANILA – Job losses in business process outsourcing due to artificial intelligence is a “myth,” an industry leader said Thursday, as companies seek to combine machine efficiency with a human touch.

Call center agents will be retooled to work with chat bots and other forms of artificial intelligence, said Sitel Asia-Pacific CEO Craig Reines.

While mechanical tasks will be automated, agents will still be on hand to provide the human touch that the Philippine outsourcing industry is known for, Reines told ANC’s Early Edition.

“It doesn’t do emotion well,” Reines said of AI. “It becomes very stale, very boring. It doesn’t provide that wow customer experience.”

Reines said digital-savvy Filipino BPO workers were poised to take advantage of the industry’s shift to AI.

“We view it as a huge opportunity. One of the tremendous advantages of the Philippines is you have a really unique service-oriented workforce.”

Contact Center Association of the Philippines president Jojo Uligan gave similar assurances on job security to BPO employees.

“We will retool them. We will retrain them and transfer them and move them up to a more complex type of work,” Uligan said.

The industry group is meeting in Cebu in October to discuss automation and other challenges.

Source: https://goo.gl/mBsqrG

Well it’s now November and we’re waiting for more updates. One thing is for sure though, along with these changes, we the BPO workforce should be able to adapt to the change in these ever evolving and changing times.